Thales awarded Korean signaling contract

Thales announced Tuesday that it has been awarded a contract from Hyundai Rotem for communications-based train control (CBTC) signaling on the Sin Bundang Line, linking Seongnam, South Korea, with Seoul, the capital.

Neuilly-sur-Seine, France-based Thales says it already has installed radio CBTC on the initial line from Gangnam to Jeongja, which went into service last October.

Thales says its SelTrac® CBTC system includes moving-block technology, free-space radio for data communication between train and wayside equipment, Thales's NetTrac MT central control system, and a fully automated depot. Twelve existing trains and three new ones will operate on 18.5 kilometers (11.5 miles) of the existing line and 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) of the new line extension in fully driverless mode at 90 km/h (about 55 mph).

"The operator has been very pleased with our system's performance throughout the autumn. Phase 2 of the line will be an extension of our technology application," said Jean Pellegrin, country director of Thales in Korea.